Oxtail Stew

May is over and pastry is gone for another year. June is Winter Warmers month and week one is Oxtail Stew. The meat is inexpensive and wonderfully flavored but it does take a while to cook. Two days. You make it one day and then the next day you skim off the fat and finish the dish.

Oxtail Stew is delicious and wonderfully inviting. If you’ve never tried it, why not give it a try now that the weather has turned cold.

It’s not difficult to make but there are quite a few ingredients. Start by sauteing the garlic, celery and onions until caramelized and then set aside.

Then dry roast the walnuts for a few minutes and then rub the skins off with a clean tea towel and set aside.

The fun starts with the oxtail which is really beef of the tail variety.

Trim off any excess fat, dredge in seasoned flour and then brown in batches in a large, heavy based casserole. You want the meat to caramelise and not stew.

Once the meat is browned, add the lardons to the pan and cook til browned, then deglaze the pan with the wine.

Now add the meat, onion mixture, herbs, zest and tomatoes to the pot and add enough stock to cover the bones and cover.

Place in a 160°C oven for five hours. Yes, five hours. This is a really inexpensive meat that needs a long slow cooking time. Let cool and place in the refrigerator overnight.

The following day, skim the fat off the surface of the stew and return to oven til the stew is heated through. Place on a serving platter and drizzle red wine liqueur over the top.